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Sag Harbor Express / Editorials / 2208465

Building Community

Editorial Board on Oct 10, 2023
This September presented a busy few weeks in Sag Harbor with Labor Day giving way to HarborFest and, more recently, the Sag Harbor American Music Festival. A village that has... more

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The Senior Surge

People often speak wistfully about young people being the future of this country. They certainly are — but let’s take a moment to recognize that the next few decades are actually going to belong to senior citizens. Which makes a group like Seniors Taking Action, founded by Mary Mulvihill of North Haven and Judy Loeb of East Hampton six years ago, even more impactful. Their small gathering of seniors is growing, in size and stature — it now has 1,400 members — and could well become an advocacy group that serves as a voice for those 65 and older. And ... 30 Jul 2025 by Editorial Board

Estuaries Are a Bargain

Whichever side of the political aisle you sit on, there’s a reality in play in 2025: Government spending is going to be on the chopping block, and only the most compelling arguments are going to save individual investments. Why, then, does federal spending on estuaries seem so precarious? The argument is rock solid, the benefits are clear and demonstrable, and it seems unlikely that the dollars going to places like the Peconic Estuary are raising ire among voters. If this funding is at risk, nothing is sacred. U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was in Riverhead last week pledging to fight proposed ... by Editorial Board

Rethinking Rentals

East Hampton Town Councilwoman Cate Rogers deserves credit for doing a deep dive into an issue that should be top of mind in both town halls and every village hall on the South Fork: the impact of short-term rentals on the overall housing market. Affordable housing is a constant conversation, but too often the focus is on the price of real estate. That’s clearly a key factor in making communities less affordable to live in, but it’s not the only one. In fact, the impact of short-term rentals, particularly via the explosion of booking websites and apps, arguably has had ... 23 Jul 2025 by Editorial Board

Without Art

Last week, Kate Mueth, a fixture of and firebrand for the East End arts scene, widely passed along an email asking people to send emails to U.S. senators, asking them to restore funding for the arts. The Performing Arts Alliance was the source of the request. It noted that on July 15, the U.S. House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee had proposed, in draft bill for the fiscal year 2026, cutting funds for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities at $135 million each, cutting funding by almost a third. That’s severe — but President Donald ... by Editorial Board

Dun Done

The iconic “Jaws” poster by artist Roger Kastel was not based on a great white shark, but rather a shortfin mako head that Kastel studied at the American Museum of Natural History, where the specimen remains today. Looking back on the artistic choice 50 years after the film first thrashed into theaters, it’s hard to second-guess it. The image is chilling, menacing and easily the most instantly recognizable film poster in cinema history. But the poster, depicting a larger-than-life shark lunging upward, toothy mouth open, toward a woman doing the freestyle stroke, is also one of the ways that “Jaws” ... 16 Jul 2025 by Editorial Board

Let's Make a Deal

Since his swearing-in in January 2023, U.S. Representative Nick LaLota hasn’t faced a series of votes that rivaled the recent domestic spending package, which he played a significant role in pushing through Congress and onto President Donald Trump’s desk. It gave him a notable win: He proudly says he delivered on his promise to 1st District voters that he would get a reprieve on the federal government’s cap on the state and local tax deduction, or SALT. Ultimately, that’s true, with an asterisk. But it’s fair for voters to ask: At what price? Did a single-minded focus on this goal ... 9 Jul 2025 by Editorial Board

Gold Stars and Dunce Caps

GOLD STAR: To the Group for the East End, for continuing efforts to bolster the osprey population on the East End, one of the greatest conservation success stories. The Group has worked for more than 30 years to help the raptor’s recovery and has been assisted by The Nature Conservancy, Eastern Long Island Audubon, North Fork Audubon, and Seatuck Environmental Association, among other groups. Likewise, credit to PSEG Long Island for a proactive effort to protect utility poles while providing nesting opportunities and relocating nests when necessary. The fish hawk was an endangered species in New York State in the ... 2 Jul 2025 by Editorial Board

Dangerous Liberty

With the Fourth of July on deck, and the national “No Kings” protests occurring recently, it’s worth taking a moment, in partisan times, to remind ourselves that dissent is patriotic, and protest is a core American principle. You might well disagree with what’s being said, depending on which group is protesting, or who is in power to face the protests. But the act of civil protest is a healthy part of democracy, and in fact is essential to its survival. And it’s hardly new. The Center for the Study of the American Constitution, a nonprofit, nonpartisan center based at the ... 25 Jun 2025 by Editorial Board

Use Discretion

You don’t need to hear it from us, but: Times are tense. It’s a moment when, in our local communities, we need to be more careful to avoid knee-jerk reactions, and while vigilance is a virtue, don’t assume everything you see on social media is what it appears to be. At the same time, communication is going to be key. An incident last week demonstrated that all of us — including local police agencies — need to be aware of the unique moment, and take steps to make sure people are not frightened needlessly. A photo circulated last week that ... 18 Jun 2025 by Editorial Board

Taking Charge

Sometimes the hardest thing is to acknowledge when you need a little more help — and to figure out the most cost-effective way to get it. Last week, the Sag Harbor Village Board said it was planning to hire a planner to work with its regulatory boards, rather than relying solely on outside help via contracts. It’ll seek proposals for “professional planning, engineering and on-call consulting services.” There’s no reason to think this is necessarily a reflection on the job being done by Nelson Pope Voorhis, the planning consulting firm from Melville that is contracted frequently by South Fork municipalities ... by Editorial Board